&& decide what's right --

[Liz]

how can i decide what's right
when you're clouding up my mind
i can't win your losing fight
all the time

Phineas lay on his back, sprawled out on the bed that stood in his tiny cabin. his hands were linked together, on which he rested his head, and his azure blue eyes had been set dead straight on the ceiling for quite a while now, his expression rather thoughtful. While one could assume young master Forte was concerned or anxious about the new journey he was about to embark on, such assumptions would not be correct.

It wasn't often that Phineas had seemingly random images flash through his mind - after all, he wasn't that much of a medium yet - but something about this ship, when he boarded it, triggered a vision. It was a tiny one, just two or three images, but they had been clear as day, and something in his stomach had told him it had been something from the past. Perhaps it had to do with the journey, with Lanorae, this strange region he was heading off to...

A ship in a storm, a great wave, and images of a Gardevoir. The boy had trouble trying to piece the images together and find a link between them; he just couldn't work it out. He'd try and look it up somewhere whenever he could, the first Pokémon Center he came across maybe, or perhaps someone in the Laboratory...

'Attention all passengers, we have arrived in Lanorae,' the voice on the intercom sounded frazzled, distorted. Blinking, Finn perked up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he sat up, lazily rubbing his eyes. He looked pretty horrible, his hair sticking out in every possible direction, his shirt and pants wrinkled... Mother would have his head if she'd see him like this. A hint of a grin curving the young man's pale lips, he pushed himself up his feet, grabbing his backpack from the floor as he rose, casually swinging it over his shoulder. Mother wasn't here to scold him. Father wasn't here to pressure him about taking over the family business one day... Gods, it felt good to be out here all by himself.

His vision still fresh on his mind, Phineas shortly after departing from the boat set his first steps on Lanoraen soil. The air smelled fresh and salty, pure. Wingull and Pelipper's screeches filled the air and rung in his ears. Konika Village was certainly a sight to behold. Smiling at his gorgeous new surroundings, Phineas drew a note from the pocket of his pants and unfolded it. On it, in a beautiful, swirly handwriting he recognized as belonging to his older sister, Jeanne, were the directions to the region's laboratory, along with a good luck wish. Bless Jeanne, she was far too good for him, going through all the trouble of helping him behind their parents' backs...

Thanks to Jeanne's directions, the journey to the Laboratory was swift; Finn had only once taken the wrong street but realized on time that he did. Checking once again if he hadn't made another mistake, the boy came to the conclusion that he indeed was at the right place, and with a smile skipped up the small flight of stairs to the laboratory's front door. As he knocked, knuckles calmly rapping on the wood of the door, the boy vividly remembered when he knocked on the door of the lab back in Kanoa. He had been exceptionally nervous back then, and while he felt a certain sense of excitement now, it was by far not as great as when he received Taki. He couldn't quite pinpoint why, but Phineas figured it had to do with the Gardevoir that was still clouding up his mind. He had to be sure to ask about her...

how did we get here
when i used to know you so well?
but how did we get here?
i think i know...

[/color][/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Jacquelyn Skidd]

"'And I'm feeling, ooooooh-hoooo, that tonight's gonna be a good night; that tonight's gonna be a good niiight; that tonight's gonna be a good good niiiiight~!'"

Jaquelyn's white lab coat whizzed around her in a circle as she twirled. If her mentor was here, she'd say this was improper conduct, that she shouldn't sing and dance while working. The aide's argument here was simple: But why not? She loved - loved! what she was doing, and she was lucky to be doing it. What's more, the young woman had plans immediately after getting off work involving dinner, candlelight, her slinky dress, and that cutie from around the corner. Thinking about his russet hair and deep, brown eyes only made Jacquelyn giggle and dance more as she moved from place to place. The Pokémon she was feeding at the moment had varied opinions of her attitude: Some attempted to join in with their own calls and danced, others found it annoying and pressed their ears (if they had them) to their heads, and there was a third party that simply ignored her. Jacquelyn barely noticed, however, and didn't even react when her Linoone, Denny, rolled his eyes when she sang to him. If she wasn't going to let people tell her how to act, why would she listen to Pokémon?

Nevertheless, her actions were somewhat careless due to her distraction, and it was only a matter of time until something went wrong. Most of her work went without a hitch - excluding the paperwork, which went ignored due to her inability to stay still - until it came time to refilling one of the Iglora's food dishes. After unlocking the necessary cabinet, the aide pulled out the Pokemon's meal with a flourish and accidentally knocked over a box of treats. Wrapped up in herself, Jackie didn't notice and carried on with her job, opening a window for Denny to snack. After making sure his trainer was busy, the Linoone bolted to the mess and began stuffing his face with the treats saved for training the laboratory Pokémon or special occasions. By the time Jacquelyn had turned and noticed her Pokemon's sinful deed, he had finished off the spilled pile and was now trying to reach the box. "Denny, no! Come on!" she shouted, nearly dropping the bowl to grab her Linoone. After a mild struggle, trainer triumphed over Pokémon and Jacquelyn was holding Denny firmly under her arm, who was trying to squirm away. With her other hand, she picked up the box and closed the cabinet, then grabbed the bowl and made to return to work.

tap tap tap.

Fortunately, the aide was near the door when Phineas knocked. Internally, she groaned. Due to the fiasco, the aide looked a bit... disheveled. Knowing she had very little choice in the matter, Jacquelyn simply moved the bowl to the hand by Denny, who began to try and reach it, and walked to the door. Before opening it, she used her free hand to brush a few stray pieces of hair that had fallen from her ponytail out of her face. It was important to seem presentable, of course!

"Welcome to Konika Laboratory!" she greeted once Finn was in view. "My name's Jacquelyn Skidd, I'm an aide here. The professor is out right now, but I'll be glad to help you. Come on in." Standing aside, Jackie gave Phineas room to enter. Denny still fought and was gaining ground on the Iglora's meal, but his trainer paid little mind. After all, she had company to focus on.

[Liz]

~*~


this was never the way i planned

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~*~[/center]

Phineas blinked, confusion splashed across his features. It sounded like chaos inside the Laboratory; things falling, someone yelling... Did he come at a bad time? Twiddling his thumbs, half-wishing he hadn't knocked at all, Finn looked more like a lost teenager than the aspiring trainer he was when Jacquelyn opened the door.

"T-thank you," the young man managed to stutter, a small smile curving his lips. He gladly accepted the aide's offer of stepping inside; it was getting significantly colder outside now, and zipping his hoodie all the way up just didn't quite do the trick. "M-my name is Phineas, Phineas Forte. People call me Finn, though," he said, rather awkwardly scratching the back of his neck as he introduced himself, almost as if he didn't quite know what to think of that nickname.

The boy's attention was drawn almost instantly to some sort of scribbling noise, and Finn shifted his attention away from Jacquelyn in order to try and find where it came from. Finn quickly located the Linoone inching closer towards a bowl filled with some kind of food; Finn cocked his head to the right in wonder. "Uh, y-your Linoone..."

He didn't mean to pry, but it looked like the normal type was hungry and couldn't reach his food. Why exactly Jacquelyn would put the bowl on such a place where her Pokémon couldn't quite reach was quite the mystery to him... But, well. No prying into other people's business. His pale cheeks bearing an interesting pink hue, Phineas turned back to the aide that had let him in. Jacquelyn Skidd looked as if she'd been very busy doing something - like wrestling or, well, sleeping; whichever really - and Phineas couldn't help but feeling grateful that she was willing to make time for him. "I could come back another time if that's better, miss Skidd."[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Jacquelyn Skidd]

"Uh, y-your Linoone... I could come back another time if that's better, Miss Skidd."

"Hm?" At first, the aide was confused by the question. Why would he want to come back later? Why was it a bad time? Blinking, she looked down to the Linoone, and the realization of how things much look struck her. "Oh, no, you're fine! A ha ha ha ha ha!" The laugh was nervous and a bit high-pitched in her stress. "Don't mind Denny, he always wants what's not his. You know. I'll be glad to help you, but can I just have one moment to straighten things out?" Already sending Finn a grateful smile, Jacquelyn began to hurry off without waiting for an answer.

Oh goodness gracious. That was embarrassing! What a scene... The boy probably thought she was an incompetent fool; or worse, a bad trainer. A shudder rocked through her body as she finally gave the Iglora she was caring for his bowl of food. Now realizing he had lost, Denny calmed down and finally stopped struggling, which allowed Jacquelyn to let him go. He jumped to the ground and bolted off to go investigate the newcomer. Jacquelyn, on the other hand, held back a moment in order to make a few more attempts at fixing her hair, among other things. After dusting off her half-buttoned lab coat and shirt, she sighed and began to head back to the lobby. 'Well, I've done all I can do.'

When she returned, Denny was already sniffing at Finn's legs and looking to him expectantly, as if the teenager was supposed to bring him something. The moment was interrupted with Jacquelyn's return, however, and her rush for an explanation. "I'm so very sorry about that! Pandemonium breaks out at the worst possible times, you know. Thanks for waiting, I can now fully focus on you... What did you say your name was? Finn?" The young woman smiled at him, trying to seem warm and welcoming. Things had started off poorly as it was... She had to improve his visit somehow. "It's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you today?"

[Liz]

~*~


this was never the way i planned

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~*~[/center]

So this was nothing new, apparently? Phineas chuckled lightly, cheeks still red as he nodded at the aide requesting some time to sort things out. He wasn't in a hurry, not at all, and well... the lab could use some cleaning up, looking like it did now. Phineas shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans as Jackie took off to set her Linoone straight, taking a moment to observe the laboratory. It was amazing how this region functioned, running completely on steam while regions with more advanced technology weren't even that far away... It had a certain charm to it, a charm Finn could appreciate very much.

"Oh?" said the boy inquisitively, feeling a light pressure against his leg. He smiled when he noticed the Linoone he's seen earlier - Denny had Miss Skidd called him? - and the boy carefully crouched down, allowing the Normal type to sniff his extended hand before petting the Linoone's creamy and brown fur. Always wants what wasn't his, hm? "If you don't tell your trainer I gave you this..." Finn whispered, pulling a piece of candy from his pants pocket and holding it out to Denny after unwrapping it. He had a feeling Jacquelyn wasn't too fond of all her Linoone's eating.

The aide returned a little after that, having straightened her clothes and her hair, and apologized for the mess Phineas had walked in on. The boy, after pushing himself back upright, smiled, and nodded understandingly. "Indeed it does." Finn admitted, scratching the back of his neck in a somewhat awkward fashion. 'Just talk to my family about that, I'm sure they'll agree, too...'

"I was, uhm... I was wondering, miss Skidd, if you could maybe help me with my first Pokémon?" Phineas asked, pushing his both hands back into the pockets of his jeans. "And also... Could you perhaps tell me, uhm... is it true that Gardevoir is important to the region?"

For all he knew those flashing images could've been random, perhaps telling him of a Pokémon he was fated to meet, or maybe he was mistaking a bad dream for a vision... But there was no easier way of telling what it was, was there?[/blockquote][/blockquote][/size][/color]